January 08, 2009

New Classroom Uses for Everyday Items

Hello Everyone! This week I've been thinking a lot about how to increase student engagement. How well do you know your learners? Most likely you now know what their interests are, what they are good at, what they need, and their learning preferences.

I think you probably have students who learn best when many of their senses are activated. Actually, I think most of us learn best when we can use the tactile/kinesthetic senses as well as the visual and auditory. With that in mind, this week I have been making lists of interventions and tips that use common objects to make lessons and activities more multisensory and engaging. This is just a small sample and you can certainly vary the ideas to fit your student needs. Remember that all your activities will link to curricular objectives, of course!

Post-It NotesOriginal Design Use: To make notes to yourself to remember things.

Teacher Adaptations:

To summarize a paragraph in a text.

To write down unknown words when reading.

To write down a question about something heard or read.

Stick up post-its with letters, spelling, or vocabulary words around the room and ask students to find them when given a sound, word, or definition. (Use with numbers/correspondence, sequence counting, fractions, etc., in math.)

Write parts of sentences on separate notes and have the student rearrange in sequence.

Paper PlatesOriginal Design Use: To take on picnics; to reduce need to wash dishes!Teacher Adaptations:

Use two plates, fastened together with a brass brad, to make a vocabulary decoder, a life cycle, or any thing that shows a sequence. Cut a window or slice out of the top plate and have the steps, words, or math problems to be learned on the bottom plate.

To make a clock face.

To make masks for storytelling, dramatizations of characters in books being read, or for art history (African masks for celebrations, for example).

Index CardsOriginal Design Use: To write down recipes, addresses, and other information and file in a box according to categories. Teacher Adaptations:

Write a learning strategy on one side and place a description and example on the back (such as the COPS strategy for editing and writing).

Write a vocabulary word on one side and have the definition and/or visualization (e.g., Word Map) on the back.

Cut out parts of index cards to use as 'frames' for reading text. Frames can be cut to show words, paragraphs, or sections of text. Place a color transparency over the “window” to help some students “see” the word better (let them choose the color that works for them).

Laminate them and use for individual response cards. Students can write their answer to a group question on their card with crayon or dry erase marker and hold it up so you can quickly survey the group.

Write single paragraphs for a writing assignment on separate cards once students have mapped out writing ideas. Arrange in order.

Use for matching games such as Concentration.

P.S.: If you have sets of cards, hole punch and add a ring. Fasten on belt loop or bookbag strap!

Jane, I see that you are checking in. Would you please add to my list? I remember you had excellent ideas for middle/secondary math and you used things like paper plates to make your lessons more understandable for your students.

I invite all of you to add to this list so we can all benefit. I hope your first weeks back at school are going well!

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New Classroom Uses for Everyday Items

Hello Everyone! This week I've been thinking a lot about how to increase student engagement. How well do you know your learners? Most likely you now know what their interests are, what they are good at, what they need, and their learning preferences.

I think you probably have students who learn best when many of their senses are activated. Actually, I think most of us learn best when we can use the tactile/kinesthetic senses as well as the visual and auditory. With that in mind, this week I have been making lists of interventions and tips that use common objects to make lessons and activities more multisensory and engaging. This is just a small sample and you can certainly vary the ideas to fit your student needs. Remember that all your activities will link to curricular objectives, of course!

Post-It NotesOriginal Design Use: To make notes to yourself to remember things.

Teacher Adaptations:

To summarize a paragraph in a text.

To write down unknown words when reading.

To write down a question about something heard or read.

Stick up post-its with letters, spelling, or vocabulary words around the room and ask students to find them when given a sound, word, or definition. (Use with numbers/correspondence, sequence counting, fractions, etc., in math.)

Write parts of sentences on separate notes and have the student rearrange in sequence.